New Horizons Program Planning/Evaluation Report for 1992-93. Focus on Program Evaluation.

Sallade, Ronald

The New Horizons Program of the Des Moines (Iowa) public schools provides supportive services such as counseling, attendance monitoring, career-related instruction, work experience, and coordination with community agencies to dropout-prone students and their families to improve academic achievement and increase graduation rates. Work experience is a major program component. Funding is from a variety of sources, with nearly 40 percent of funds derived from outside the school district. An evaluation of the program conducted in 1992-93 confirmed the staff-development initiatives of the project and its use of advanced technology through computer classes and computerized records. Evaluation of project outcomes suggests that the program provides a variety of experiences for the approximately 1,400 at-risk students it serves. The program has been effective for 25 years, as is demonstrated by the numbers of youth who attend school more consistently and graduate. Over the past 5 years, New Horizons has consistently met the majority of its objectives, and it is projected to continue to serve at-risk students in Des Moines. One appendix summarizes the program's flood-relief project. (SLD)